The New Lion Park near JohannesburgThis post has caused a storm of abuse on social media. We should have explained it was part of our policy of engagement with all role players in order to create an inclusive Captive Lion Forum to press government for change. We repost our reply to an abusive comment below:Hi SherylYour comments fundamentally misunderstand what CACH is trying to achieve and the practicalities of doing so in South Africa.CACH is not simply a protest group. As you know, we are seeking change in South Africa: the end of captive lion breeding and canned lion hunting. History shows us that effective and sustainable change rarely results from confrontation and/or public pressure alone. This is especially so in the context of dealing with South Africa’s government and its wealthy hunting industry. If change does happen here, it will be through a complex interaction of public pressure, commercial pressure and political and/or regulatory change.That means our strategy necessarily involves a number of strands and approaches.These include engaging with, and on occasions working with, a range of stakeholders with different views from our own if in our judgement that will help achieve our overall objective. We accept that on occasions this may lead to criticism (and social media abuse!), but the bottom line is our focus has to be on maximising effectiveness rather than maximising popularity.We believe that the Captive Lion Forum that we are setting up to effect regulatory change in SA will become the leading voice here because it includes all stakeholders, including regulators, lion experts, lion farmers and cub petting facilities, various relevant govt depts, conservationists and a number of powerful animal welfare orgs. We think that our strategies will best deliver our objectives in South Africa. We are the ones on the ground and have been doing this longer than almost anyone.Internationally, we continue of course to raise public awareness on the unacceptability of cub-petting and lion encounters (and indeed our Lion Park blog makes this clear) and to engage with the tourist industry on these issues. We also continue to engage directly and indirectly with the SA government. Last month we sent our Tourism Minister an extensive report highlighting the damage to Brand South Africa caused by lion breeding and canned hunting (happy to send you a copy). We then contacted the 40 or so UK members of the IUCN urging them to vote for the IUCN 2016 Conference motion 009 calling on the SA government to stop breeding & hunting lions – and we heard today this motion has been passed.So if you think your donation to CACH has been misspent, we will gladly refund you.

The old and the new are like chalk and cheese. The old Lion Park near Lanseria was a run-down private zoo. The new Lion Park is a world class facility which is more a zoo park.

The lions no longer hang around by gates in utter boredom. They have natural big camps where they can hide from the vehicles if they so choose. There are no self-drives anymore due to the safety concerns.The property is enormous and very picturesque, with a rich cultural history. Management are busy reintroducing species that were endemic there hundreds of years ago.

There are genuine research projects on the go. Not the bogus lion ones we know so well, but important ones. Two, for instance, are on Leguaans and Black Backed Jackals. They are also involved with Vulpro and the vultures.

There is a community outreach programme which is removing snares from the surrounding areas (a very big problem due to bush meat trade) and turning them into snare art.

The new facility has come under attack in social media for resuming cub petting after a short period of refraining from offering lion cub petting.

Prior to all the controversy on social media about the reintroduction of cub petting at the Lion Park, CACH was invited to meet with them to discuss the difficulties they were facing and to find common ground on a way forward.

On Saturday 20th August, Joburg director Linda Park, accompanied by Moji, went to the new Lion Park and spent the whole day there. She writes:We were met by an executive team of four and sat down over coffee to discuss the situation. Let me state here that this team are the "new guard". None of them were around when the rot that founded the Lion Park empire was going on. Owner Rodney Fuhr, under whose management the old Lion Park in Lanseria was discredited in the CBS 60 Minutes piece, is apparently retiring.

They explained why they had reluctantly had to reintroduce cub petting. When they opened their new world class facility recently, the plan was to offer an ethical lion experience with no cub petting. Indeed, most of their male lions have been vasectomised.

However, they soon discovered that the public demand for cub petting was so overwhelming, that tour companies stopped coming to them because they no longer offered cub petting. Instead, tour companies took their business elsewhere to other places that do.

The new Lion Park has spent more than R100 million to set up exceptional facilities, and now has a massive mortgage bond to service. The implications of a drastically reduced cash flow meant that they would have been in serious financial trouble before the end of the year. So, as a temporary measure, they were forced to change their plans, and reintroduce cub petting on a limited scale.

We were told that they are wanting to help bring about an end to captive breeding and cub petting but cannot do so alone, or they would suffer a disastrous loss of business. It is not practical for one facility near Joburg to take the responsibility of abandoning cub petting; all that achieves is to drive away business to less ethical competitors. So what has become clear is that a level playing field can only be achieved by government intervention in the form of a blanket ban on lion breeding and cub petting.

Our suggestion was that they convene a meeting with the various political parties and that together we put pressure on them to get captive breeding outlawed. They committed to setting this up as soon as possible.

CACH had not changed its position on the cub petting. The CACH position on this is, and always has been, that no cub petting is acceptable and we will never deviate from that. But, for the greater good of all lions in captivity, we need to give credit where it is due and to work with the new Lion Park to see if, together, we can bring an end to lion farming and its profitable spin-off, cub petting.​We have been promised total commitment and transparency. Should that not happen, then we shall have to reconsider.

When the cubs grow and can't be pet anymore,are you going to recycle them to be shot by tourists? What are your plans?

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RICH Russom

8/21/2016 10:55:12 am

When will it stop?

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Lisa M Daniel

8/21/2016 11:16:18 am

As good as this may sound, I have no doubt that there is an underlying bad intention! The cubs that are in the "Petting Program" could most likely end up in the canned hunting BS!!!

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Wendy Barnett

8/21/2016 09:47:46 pm

Exactly Lisa. bad them all

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Douglas

8/22/2016 03:18:23 am

I call BS on this! Seriously, offering cub petting, or not, will make a difference on whether they can service a R100 million mortgage bond or not.

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Graeme Hawkins

8/22/2016 03:49:49 am

A hard one to call, any profits they make can go to their good projects.
Any profits made buy the canned hunting trade just further encourages them to carry on, the more that can be taken from them the better.
I agree CACH cannot condone the practice on any level and the situation should be monitored.

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Gwen Merrick

8/22/2016 06:13:29 am

Very sad news.

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Mark Ledeman

8/22/2016 06:22:03 am

And when the cubs are too old to pet,and no breeding is going on,how will they replenish their stock of lions in the future?From the canned hunting industry?

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BRIAN GAISFORD

8/22/2016 06:23:33 am

They are pulling the wool. Buying time and will never work with all other breeding centers to shut down lion breeding centers.
Too much $$$ to lose.
As with the big cat killing for fun industry and the disgusting lion killers from all over and esp the US. You can never trust a word they say.
If they don't breed cats any longer and the males have been snipped how will they exist after 8 or 10 years. Will their mortgage all be paid up ?Will they all just retire
This will only end if cat killing for fun ends.
If all saw the BOB VITRO LION hunt and how these lion are used in the slaughter pens of S Africa. Big problem is that so many don't have the stomach to watch the film BLOOD LION or the VITRO HUNT.
See it and get mad and stop this killing of our cats for fun.
BG

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Colin P Smith

8/22/2016 06:27:14 am

So what happens to the grown up cubs? Stop evading the question we need to know the truth.

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Paula Els

8/23/2016 05:14:41 am

We see right through you. Please don't underestimate our intelligence!

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Susan van Houwelingen

8/23/2016 05:37:34 am

I am rather ignorant about this matter, lion cub petting, but when the cubs are tame and used to people, they will always be used to them and I have heard (not seen) that people can go for walks with adult lions in some parks. As long as they are fed and looked after with suitable living space ( Like in a Zoo) Canned lion hunting should be banned outright, and immediately, but when these lioncubs are grown up they can be reintroduced to the wild again, and they will adept.It must be so wonderful to be so close to nature and touch a wild animal. Just my opinion. ..

These lions can never be reintroduced to the wild because they have never been allowed ti hunt and feed themselves, in fact they lose their whole social structure. After the walking with the visitors stage they end up in the canned hunting industry because they have no further use for them. Watch "Blood Lions"

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Colin Smith

8/23/2016 07:56:38 am

I'm afraid these comments demonstrate the level of ignorance among the general populous globally (credit to Susan for her honesty) The fact of the matter is that anything involving man, animals & money always results in animal suffering and applies to all aspects of mans abuse of animals whether it is riding elephants or camels or stroking lion cubs. These majestic animals belong in the bush, to roam free and be admired from the distance and left alone. There is absolutely no excuse whatsoever for lions or any other wild animal to be cadged, tethered,stroked and patted and I will do everything I can to stop it. This place needs to be closed down!

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Colin Smith

8/23/2016 08:31:01 am

We must never forget that these majestic animals have lived in Africa for millions of years; Free to roam wherever that wished, and normally having a long and peaceful life:----------------------- Then man arrived and ruined everything!

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Sheryl Schroeder

9/4/2016 04:08:22 pm

I honestly cannot believe that CACH would publish such drivel. Supporting the new Lion Park's decision to allow cub petting because they have a R100 million mortgage? That's like saying, I have expenisve rent and I can make much more money by dealing drugs, breaking into people's homes and holding up convenience stores, so it's all ok, because my bills are high and I need to make my rent. This is RUBBISH! Cub petting merely perpetuates the supply AND the demand for all of this horrible industry and if you believe that this place will stop breeding for profit and help out in stopping the canned hunting industry by somehow educating people, you are sorely mistaken. I expect so much more from CACH! I'm disappointed and outraged. And to think I have donated money to CACH only for them to come out in support of a cub petting facility. Not buying this bullshit article!

Reply

Chris Mercer

9/5/2016 05:35:14 am

Hi Sheryl
Your comments fundamentally misunderstand what CACH is trying to achieve and the practicalities of doing so in South Africa.
CACH is not simply a protest group. As you know, we are seeking change in South Africa: the end of captive lion breeding and canned lion hunting.
History shows us that effective and sustainable change rarely results from confrontation and/or public pressure alone. This is especially so in the context of dealing with South Africa’s government and its wealthy hunting industry. If change does happen here, it will be through a complex interaction of public pressure, commercial pressure and political and/or regulatory change.
That means our strategy necessarily involves a number of strands and approaches.
These include engaging with, and on occasions working with, a range of stakeholders with different views from our own if in our judgement that will help achieve our overall objective. We accept that on occasions this may lead to criticism (and social media abuse!), but the bottom line is our focus has to be on maximising effectiveness rather than maximising popularity.
We believe that the Captive Lion Forum that we are setting up to effect regulatory change in SA will become the leading voice here because it includes all stakeholders, including regulators, lion experts, lion farmers and cub petting facilities, various relevant govt depts, conservationists and a number of powerful animal welfare orgs. We think that our strategies will best deliver our objectives in South Africa. We are the ones on the ground and have been doing this longer than almost anyone.
Internationally, we continue of course to raise public awareness on the unacceptability of cub-petting and lion encounters (and indeed our Lion Park blog makes this clear) and to engage with the tourist industry on these issues.
We also continue to engage directly and indirectly with the SA government. Last month we sent our Tourism Minister an extensive report highlighting the damage to Brand South Africa caused by lion breeding and canned hunting (happy to send you a copy). We then contacted the 40 or so UK members of the IUCN urging them to vote for the IUCN 2016 Conference motion 009 calling on the SA government to stop breeding & hunting lions – and we heard today this motion has been passed.
So if you think your donation to CACH has been misspent, we will gladly refund you.

Reply

Colin Smith

9/6/2016 03:29:44 am

Although I am fundamentally totally against any form of canned hunting or cub petting, I understand (but do not support) CACH's position. The problem is that they are working in a broken, corrupt country and have to work within the jungle rules which have taken over; It's rather like trying to open a vegan restaurant in North Korea. because of this CACH is going to achieve very little. The pressure needs to come from the outside. Tourists need to be educated about the reality of visiting these farms before they travel and governments need to ban their countrymen from going to Africa to kill animals for fun as they have done with pedophiles.

THIS is the bottom line:
"It is not practical for one facility near Joburg to take the responsibility of abandoning cub petting; all that achieves is to drive away business to less ethical competitors. So what has become clear is that a level playing field can only be achieved by government intervention in the form of a blanket ban on lion breeding and cub petting."

Petitions come and go Denine, without any apparent effect. We worked hard some years ago to get 35,000 signatures for a ban, and handed them over to the Minister with full media coverage. Result? Nothing. I think that in SA petitions are ineffective.